About a year and a half
ago, bees showed up in force on the roof of the Port of Portland's LEED
Platinum headquarters building thanks to project development manager and apiary
enthusiast, Greg Sparks. The Port's Annie Linstrom heralded their arrival in a post
on this blog in February 2012. This week, Public Affairs intern, Jayson
Shanafelt provides an update on how the bees are doing.

The Port's LEED Platinum
headquarters building is renowned for its sustainable features. Visitors from
across the globe have toured the building to see and learn about its living
machine and other environmental attributes. What visitors may not realize is
that one year ago, the Port installed a second living machine—a beehive on the
10th floor eco roof, now home to roughly 70,000 honey bees.

Visible from inside the
building, the hive serves as an educational opportunity, allowing employees and
HQ visitors to observe an active bee colony up close. The intent of
establishing this safe haven for the bees was, in part, to increase awareness
of the critical role they play in our everyday lives. Nearly one-third of the
U.S. diet is incumbent on honey bee pollination, yet their populations are on
the decline.

"It is always a
point of interest for tour groups. I feel they come away with a better
appreciation and understanding of how important honey bees are to our food
production," said Greg Sparks, project development manager and the Port's
resident beekeeper. "The main question people want to know is 'How are
they doing?'"

Sparks confesses that
when the hive was installed, he wasn't sure if the height of the building would
be detrimental to foraging worker bees, which at times can travel up to two
miles for food. "It has been a happy discovery. The height doesn't seem to
have deterred them. They are doing quite well, which is a good thing to
see."

The beehive structure is
taller than it used to be. Sparks decided to add an additional box to the hive
after recently observing the colony's health. "They need to have the
room," Sparks said, noting that the bees easily have produced 100 pounds
of honey."

Interest generated from
the hive has even inspired several Port staff to start their own apiaries
(honey bee colonies). "I sense that many Port staff take pride in having
this unique feature at our already impressive building," said Sparks.

This spring, more than 70,000 bees are expected to fly into the Port of Portland to inhabit a custom-made Langstroth bee hive.

The first of its kind at the Port, the hive assembly was carefully constructed by Greg Sparks, Port project development manager and avid beekeeper. Sparks will install the hive on the ecoroof located on the 10th floor of the Port headquarters building. When in flower, the ecoroof acts as a foraging home for bees and native pollinators.

While honeybee pollination is vital in much agricultural food production, honeybee populations are in decline in North America. The hive will further Port environmental efforts by offering honeybees a secure place to live and thrive and propagate the species. The hive will also raise the awareness of the importance of honeybees.

The hive is made of natural pine and cedar and contains more than 40 frames that the bees will use to build comb for making and storing honey and for the queen to lay eggs and raise young bees. Once established, the colony could produce up to 100 pounds of honey during the six-month pollination period, and will forage for up to two miles from their home. Honey produced by the colony will not be harvested the first year to allow them to become a well established and thriving colony. The colony will not be treated with chemicals, but rather be allowed to exist naturally in their new environment.

Port employees will watch as the honeybees work and produce honey; learn about the 45-day lifecycle of a worker bee, and the three-year lifecycle of the queen bee, and witness the ever-changing lifecycle of a honeybee colony.